Coffee beverages have attracted attention for refresh function and physiological functions of chlorogenic acids contained therein. With an increase in attention, their consumption tends to increase. Fresh coffee beverages are rich and extremely excellent in taste and flavor intrinsic to coffee; while their extraction processes are not convenient and waste disposal or the like is nuisance. Then, to improve convenience, a coffee extract solution is concentrated to prepare a concentrate or powdered to prepare instant coffee. Such concentrated coffee compositions have been developed and widely used.
Recently, concentrated coffee compositions improved in additional value from a different angle from convenience have been proposed. For example, a soluble coffee, which has a reduced amount of hydroxyhydroquinone and improved physiological functions of chlorogenic acids (Patent Literature 1), and an aroma-enriched instant coffee, which is prepared by blending a first extract solution obtained by extracting roasted coffee beans in the atmospheric pressure and a second extract solution obtained by extracting them under pressure, concentrating the resulting blend to a predetermined concentration, adding an aroma-comprising concentrate obtained by condensing the vapor vaporized from the first extract solution, to the concentrated blend, and powdering the resulting mixture (Patent Literature 2), are known.
(Patent Literature 1) JP-A-2006-204192
(Patent Literature 2) JP-A-5-219890